Chronic alcohol consumption may increase pain sensitivity, study finds

April 24, 2023 – Research with mice has led scientists to conclude that chronic alcohol consumption can make people more sensitive to pain in two ways – through alcohol consumption and alcohol withdrawal, according to a study that has just been published in the British Journal of Pharmacology.

The findings could help develop drugs to combat alcohol-associated chronic pain and hypersensitivity among the 29.5 million people in the United States who suffer from alcohol use disorders, the researchers said. researchers.

“There is an urgent need to better understand the two-way street between chronic pain and alcohol addiction,” said Marisa Roberto, lead author and professor of neuroscience at Scripps Research, in a Press release. “Pain is both a common symptom in patients with alcohol dependence, as well as a reason why people are driven to drink again.”

The research team studied three groups of mice: some that were alcohol dependent, some that were not dependent but had limited access to alcohol, and some that had no access to alcohol.

During withdrawal, addicted mice developed allodynia, in which a harmless stimulus is painful. Addicted mice also showed a decrease in pain sensitivity when they resumed drinking alcohol. Mice with limited access to alcohol also showed increased sensitivity to pain during withdrawal, but unlike addicted mice, they did not show reduced sensitivity when given alcohol again.

The researchers measured inflammatory proteins and found an increase in addicted mice. These proteins could be used to create drugs, the researchers said.

“These two types of pain vary widely, which is why it’s important to be able to tell them apart and develop different ways to treat each type,” said first author Vittoria Borgonetti, postdoctoral associate at Scripps Research.

The press release says more than half of people with alcohol use disorder (AUD) suffer from some kind of persistent pain, including nerve damage that causes chronic pain. AUD is also associated with changes in the way the brain processes pain signals and the way the immune system activates, which could lead to increased alcohol consumption.